Chapter 349 War Breaks Out Again

As the situation at court became increasingly tense, Zhang Chengxian sent a matchmaker to the Shen family to formally propose marriage as soon as he returned from the estate.

Consort Zhang bestowed a large dowry, and Zhang Chengxian, due to his repeated military achievements, had actually accumulated a considerable fortune. The Shen family had always thought they would break off the engagement, but they never expected the Zhang family to show such sincerity and insist on the marriage.

After learning about the events at the Du family's birthday banquet and Shen Lishu's encounter with thugs while offering incense, the Shen family members' impression of Zhang Chengxian changed drastically, and they became very optimistic about him.

However, Shen Lishu always felt that there was not much affection between the two, and even under Shen Yanzhou's persuasion, she refused to agree.

Zhang Chengxian was extremely anxious but couldn't find a solution. When the news reached the palace, Dou Wenyi immediately invited Shen Lishu to the palace for a small gathering.

When Shen Lishu came to Kunning Palace, she brought her a lot of exquisite snacks and a cookbook.

"...Your Majesty, I have come across a cookbook by chance. It contains snacks and fresh dishes from all over the country. They are easy to make and delicious. They have a unique flavor. Show them to the cooks. They can help you change things up when you have time."

Dou Wenyi took the recipe book, her slender fingers turning the cover page, revealing a beautiful and elegant handwriting in regular script, clearly the result of careful compilation.

Without a doubt, this cookbook was written by Shen Yanzhou himself.

Dou Wenyi was very grateful. He was always so thoughtful and considerate. She really hoped that he could find someone to spend his life with soon.

"Thank you so much for your kindness. My appetite has improved a lot now, and I'm not as nauseous as I was at the beginning."

She paused, then said, "Lishu, tell me the truth, do you not want to marry Zhang Chengxian? Do you want to break off the engagement? He's a really good person, a rare and excellent son-in-law. If he dares to bully you, just go to the palace, and I'll have the Emperor back you up."

Shen Lishu's face flushed slightly. "I'm not worried about him doing something reckless, but I am a little worried. I'm not sure what to do..."

Zhang Chengxian once genuinely admired Dou Wenyi. Although the two were very open with each other, she still felt jealous and would unconsciously compare herself to Dou Wenyi.

Unfortunately, the more she compared, the more frustrated she became.

Dou Wenyi was her close friend and treated her with kindness and loyalty; she shouldn't be so stubborn.

Even so, she still couldn't control her overthinking, and since she couldn't talk to anyone about these troubles, she could only wallow in self-pity.

What worried her most was that Zhang Chengxian didn't really like her, but only thought she was suitable for marriage in every way to appease his family.

She concealed her complex emotions and felt guilty, not daring to look at Dou Wenyi.

Hearing her say that, Dou Wenyi immediately guessed what she was thinking, "This recipe was compiled by your brother, right?"

Shen Lishu's eyes widened in surprise. "Your Majesty already knows?"

Dou Wenyi laughed and said meaningfully, "Not everyone is lucky enough to meet the first person they admire who will be the one they spend their life with. You know, I was once engaged to Xie Guidu, and when I was young, I actually had feelings for him too."

"Fortunately, I later realized that he was not a good man, and then I risked my life to break off the engagement."

"I'll let you in on a little secret: His Majesty is actually quite jealous of Xie Guidu!"

Shen Lishu stared in astonishment, "Huh? Then this cookbook..."

Dou Wenyi smiled indifferently, "It's alright. In the past, if he had known, I don't know how much trouble he would have made, but he won't now."

Thinking back on everything with Pei Siyan, I feel that he is so childish. He gets emotional over the smallest things, and he is so petty and nitpicky that it gives me a headache.

“You have to believe Zhang Chengxian. His heart is very small, so small that it can only hold one person. He is not someone who will settle for less. He must have fallen for you to want to stay with you forever and grow old together.”

"His feelings for you will only grow deeper. You'll know once you marry him."

The bitterness in Shen Lishu's heart instantly dissipated, and a hint of guilt flashed in her eyes. "Really? I always feel like I'm not as good as you, so... you won't blame me, will you?"

Dou Wenyi held her hand and said, "Someone like you who lives a life of luxury is probably what he really needs. You two are a perfect match and will definitely be happy. Live a good life together from now on."

Hearing her say that, Shen Lishu's confidence increased greatly. "Yes, I'll listen to you."

After Shen Lishu finally agreed to marry Zhang Chengxian, the two families immediately went through the traditional betrothal ceremony, and they were just waiting for Zhang Chengxian's triumphant return before officially getting married.

——

The political situation in the imperial court was unpredictable. Overnight, the Duke of Anguo's mansion and the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion were accused of treason, causing a huge uproar in the court.

The new emperor had been on the throne for less than a month, but instead of granting a general amnesty, he launched a bloody purge of powerful families. The court was filled with fear and uncertainty, wondering how many people would be affected by this bloody storm.

Pei Siyan ordered Zhang Chengxian, Gu Yufeng, Shen Yanzhou, and a group of veteran generals from the court to rush to Quanzhou and Fuzhou. General Zong Rui led the Xuanjia Army to guard the border, which was as solid as a rock even when the Northern Di army of 100,000 pressed in.

At the same time, Xie Guidu sent people to Qianzhou to pick up Prince Duan, Pei Yunche, intending to install him as a puppet emperor.

Unexpectedly, before he even arrived, Pei Yunche hanged himself.

He raised the slogan "The Blue Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise," burned down the local government offices in Fuzhou, attacked powerful local figures, and launched a massive uprising.

Unfortunately, after the start of summer, the Huanghe River overflowed, breaching its banks in several places and causing a once-in-a-century flood, severely affecting Chanzhou. Local officials, instead of providing adequate relief, took the opportunity to embezzle large sums of money allocated for disaster relief. This led to widespread public resentment, and many disaster victims joined the uprising.

Battle reports were delivered to Pei Siyan one after another, but the situation was far from optimistic.

Pei Siyan tossed the battle report aside, "How is the disaster situation in Chanzhou progressing?"

"After Lord Lin arrived, he investigated and punished several officials who failed in their disaster relief efforts, and beheaded them. The resentment has been suppressed. However, the destruction of the bridge for transporting grain is seriously affecting the progress," Vice Minister Du Hao replied respectfully.

"Your Majesty, the national treasury is about to run out of funds again..."

Yin Congjian looked rather grim, mainly because Emperor Muzong had left too many financial holes. Even though taking over the Princess's Chamber of Commerce had recovered a lot of silver for the national treasury, money was still needed everywhere. He was constantly struggling to make ends meet and was feeling extremely frustrated as the Minister of Revenue.

"Isn't there still a batch of silver?"

"Wasn't that money meant for your wedding preparations? We agreed long ago that it would be allocated to the Ministry of Rites." Yin Congjian shrank his neck.

Pei Siyan genuinely found it troublesome; if he weren't in this position, the expenses of a wedding wouldn't be a problem at all.

Pei Siyan slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, "Prioritize military pay, and use the money for the wedding from the private treasury first."

The court officials withdrew.

The candlelight flickered in the hall. Pei Siyan put down his pen and slowly sat on the couch. He had finally reached this position, wielding supreme power over life and death, but the pressure he bore was more than a thousand times greater than before.

Take his marriage to Yi'er, for example. If he were a young master from an ordinary family, he wouldn't have made such a big fuss over the so-called 'national dignity,' even if he knew that the country was currently running a deficit.

When Dou Wenyi came over, she saw his solemn expression and knew that he was troubled by state affairs again. She pointed to the food box and said, "Your Majesty, I have made you some soup. Would you like some?"

Pei Siyan composed himself, stood up, and led her to sit down. "Yi'er, don't worry about these things. You're pregnant, so you still need to be careful..."

Dou Wenyi suggested, "Your Majesty, the war is intense, and you are working day and night. Your health is paramount. I will actually be better off moving around more. In addition, the national treasury is tight, so we might as well postpone the wedding until the war is over."

“Our wedding has been delayed again and again…it’s really been too unfair to you.” Pei Siyan felt a sudden surge of displeasure.

"Sanlang, what grievances are you two talking about?"

Dou Wenyi vaguely felt that Xie Guidu's current predicament was more or less related to her, and that he should have died long ago!

"Are they going to liquidate the Dingyuan Marquis's mansion?"

"The evidence against Xie Guidu for treason is conclusive, and his crimes are unforgivable. He should have been executed along with his entire family, but I only executed the Xie family. You mustn't..."

Dou Wenyi shook her head. "I never thought of pleading for them. They deserved what they got."